647,

He drank water as he looked at the scenery ahead.

There was no flashy performance, no sexy beauty.

There were only the wounded before them.

“I used to question myself, wondering whether the leader was doing the right thing...”

After a moment of silence, Alexander spoke first.

“A lot of things are tragic right now. Not only are the buildings we hastily rebuilt unstable, but the people who died in that battle and their families... Every one of those things is heartbreaking.”

He took another sip of water, then continued.

“These days, I’ve been rushing around dealing with all this every day, listening to people pour out their grief... My heart... really hurts...”

Alexander set down his cup.

“But when I think about it carefully, after everything we’ve been through, I really do feel that there’s hope for the future—even though I know I shouldn’t think that way.”

Curious about the “hope” Alexander spoke of, Cyclone glanced at the man beside him.

At that moment, Cyclone saw Alexander smiling with relief.

“You know? Once we’ve taken care of the Great Dragon’s affairs, the leader will travel to the continent of the North Sea and spread the teachings to every corner of the world.”

“Every corner?”

Yuna asked.

“That’s right. In the past, King Allen and the King of Twilight controlled the northern coast of the continent. Getting to the northern continent was practically impossible.”

Alexander pointed ahead. Only then did Cyclone realize that the direction they were looking in was north.

“Sailing from the South Sea all the way around to the North Sea would consume enormous resources and cost a fortune. Even if we’d truly planned to do it, once we put out to sea, Kakarl—the nation—would’ve been left facing rebellion and invasions from other countries.”

Alexander looked at Cyclone.

“You fought in the demon extermination war, right?”

At the same time, Alexander glanced at Yuna behind Cyclone.

“War... If war broke out in Kakarl, the death toll would be far higher than it is now. A world spiraling out of control would be filled with nothing but despair.”

As Alexander spoke, Cyclone slowly began to sense the resolve behind his words.

An invisible lock of death had once hung over Kakarl. Its ideal location and political circumstances had made the city a prize everyone wanted.

By a twist of fortune and misfortune, the Water Shrine came to represent Kakarl—and became a nation in its own right.

For a religion that only wanted to share “love,” this was the worst possible outcome.

“It’s such a relief not to be suspected or pushed aside by other countries anymore~”

Alexander gave a small nod.

“But that little girl wasn’t wrong. We really didn’t consider enough when we made this plan...”

Cyclone didn’t know what Alexander meant by “didn’t consider enough,” but he had a vague feeling that he knew which little girl Alexander was talking about.

“As a hero who slayed dragons, I might never be able to say that I want to be friends with one...”

“This time, the death toll was only a little over a thousand. Considering Kakarl’s total population, you did everything you could.”

Yuna tried to comfort Alexander, but Cyclone felt that this wasn’t about the numbers.

“Is that so...”

From Cyclone’s perspective, Yuna’s attempt to comfort him had failed.

Alexander had started this conversation not because he wanted someone to understand him, or someone to take their anger out on him.

This wasn’t a question of right or wrong. Even Alexander knew there was no right or wrong path here.

Cyclone set down his cup and thought for a few seconds.

“You’ve got the wrong person, Alexander.”

That was the only thing Cyclone could think of.

“If you want to talk about this, you should find someone you’ve actually hurt, not me.”

At Cyclone’s words, Alexander froze.

Then he fell silent for a long while.

At last, Alexander stood up, turning his back to Cyclone.

“Thank you. I knew talking with you was the right choice.”

“You guys... Why do you all come to me for emotional support?!”

A few seconds later, Alexander burst out laughing.

“Well~ That’s just the kind of person you are~ Hahaha~”